Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute (SIRTI) has added teleconference capability to the services it offers Spokane’s business community. Even before the events of September 11, the cost in time and travel placed a strain on business people needing to confer on a face-to-face, give-and-take basis with colleagues at a distance. Advances in technology have improved real-time voice and visual communications so that the teleconference is no longer an awaited future development, but is a satisfactory means of communication today.

For a quality teleconference, there is a need for equipment and software along with sufficient bandwidth to provide speed and quality of communication. SIRTI acquired the Polycom system that runs over six ISDN lines. Their system displays on a 27-inch screen television, but if desired, images could be projected on a larger screen using LCD technology.

Although SIRTI uses ISDN connectivity, the system can be used with Internet Protocol (IP). “If the Internet is congested,” warned Hank Artis, SIRTI Incubator manager, “the IP transmission is jerky and simply doesn’t work as well.” That isn’t a problem over ISDN.

Sterling Financial Corporation recently used the SIRTI system. Their teleconference involved five people locally who conferred with colleagues at two different remote locations. Daniel Byrne, Sterling Senior Vice President, reported that they were very pleased, and would definitely use the system in the future.

SIRTI’s teleconference system will accommodate from one to twenty people in their fourth floor conference room. The cost is $175 per hour. --- Billie Moreland